Before Henry Golding became Nick Young – the male lead – in “Crazy Rich Asians“, he was voted “sexual healer” in high school (because of Marvin Gaye’s classic song). He then worked his way up to become a barber before switching careers to be a TV-show host.
This is where Lisa Kim comes in. She was “the woman in accounting” who put in a good word for Golding to Jon M. Chu. The director was searching for a lead in “Crazy Rich Asians” at the time. Fast forward a few years later, Golding has made his silver screen debut.
During his appearance on “The Tonight Show”, the Malaysian star told Jimmy Fallon, “There’s this lovely woman in accounting. Her name’s Lisa Kim. If you’re out there Lisa Kim, I still owe you one. I love you Lisa! She was like, ‘I met this guy about 5 years ago in Malaysia. I don’t know what he’s doing now, but for me he was this character Nick Young’.”
Upon Kim’s recommendation, Chu stalked Golding on Instagram and watched his travel videos on YouTube before approaching him. “They sent me about 3 or 4 emails asking me to audition. But I was like, ‘no no no no no. I’m not an actor. I’m sure there’s somebody absolutely amazing ready for this role. And the studio’s not going to gamble on a newbie or a greenhorn’,” Golding shared.
Fortunately, lady fate favoured Golding. Listen to the Hollywood newcomer thank Kim in his accent below – it sounds way better.
“Crazy Rich Asians” opens in Malaysian cinemas on 22nd August.
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